Thoughts on RAGE.

Was Rage, the new IP from id, worth the wait? On one hand, id has delivered what looks to be a fairly solid engine to the game industry. Yet on the other, Rage already feels very dated; but never mind that now, instead of talking about the quality of Rage as a whole I want to talk about an idea that occurred to me over and over again as I blasted my way through the wastelands: just because a game may look amazing does not automatically mean it is a good game.

I do not want to imply that the people at id wanted to, or even thought about making a game that can be seen as a critique of current state of the gaming industry, but it does seem pretty in your face about it. Everything from the gun play, to the racing, to even the way you do quests feels very dated. The enemies you face take round after round and shell after shell, and shrug off head shots as if they’re nothing at all; the racing is more akin to Mario Kart than anything else; quests are buried away behind peoples none changing (yet well written) dialog; and everything is so nicely separated from each other by long loading corridors and loading screens that you never have to worry about getting lost. It is such a striking juxtaposition between the gorgeous visuals and dated game play that I cannot help but wonder if it is all intentional. If it is not intentional, then Rage is an example of an old school developer failing to move into the modern world. Also, all the damage control Carmack is doing is not helping their cause. Talking about how much better PC technology vs. Console tech still does not explain why the very mechanics of your game feel old as shit.

Rage exists as more of a show piece for the engine rather than a game in its own right. While I am glad to have played it, it feels more like a living relic (much like the ancient coelacanth) than anything else; if nothing else, I am excited to see what other developers can do with an engine like IdTech5. Maybe this is the future for some companies: instead of making an engine for their game, they make engines for the industry. And you know what? I am okay with that.